NEW ORLEANS— A positive mindset only goes so far. At some point when the bad news hammers you over and over again as it did with New Orleans Saints linebacker Alex Anzalone was, doubt starts forcing its way through the cracks.

Will his body be able to hold up to the rigors of a full football season?

There was the shoulder injury that prematurely ended his 2017 rookie campaign with the New Orleans Saints after four games. A broken forearm ended his final season at Florida after eight games. His 2015 season was cut short after two games thanks to a shoulder injury. That’s 14 games in three seasons.

Confidence is the word of the moment for Anzalone, now entering the third year of his NFL career. He is fresh off completing a full 16-game regular season, with two playoff games to boot. It served as proof not only that it was possible, but of what he was capable of doing when fully healthy.

“You can imagine how big that is, just playing a full season,” Anzalone said.

It was big for his mental preparation. Playing more games meant preparing for more offenses and seeing that preparation play out on the field. It was big for him physically, giving him a full season and offseason to focus on improvement rather than rehab.

And clearly, just making it through was a giant shot in the arm to both his confidence and that of those around him.

“I think that was great for all of us to see, and I think that was great for him to see,” said defensive coordinator Dennis Allen. “Mentally be able to say, alright, I can hold up for an entire 16-game season into the playoffs.

“Coach (Sean Payton) says it all the time: Confidence is borne out of demonstrated ability. He’s demonstrated he can do it, so he’s got more and more confidence that’s something he can continue to do.”

Start with the mental side of things: Anzalone was on the field for 486 defensive snaps in the regular season, an increase of more than 300 snaps from his rookie campaign. As the season wore on, New Orleans began to increase his role.

In the first eight games of the season, Anzalone played more than 50 percent of the defensive snaps twice. In the next eight games, he saw the field for more than 50 percent of the defensive snaps seven times.

Linebackers coach Mike Nolan likes to kid Anzalone about his intelligence, joking that he is quicker to jump on the young linebacker because he is too smart to make mistakes on the field. But his mind is one of the first things those who work with Anzalone will bring up, and that makes his leap in playing time so important from a football standpoint.

More time on the field equals more information in Anzalone’s mental database, and his ability to quickly process that information and translate it on the field works well in tandem with his physical ability.

Combating modern NFL offenses requires big, fast and smart linebackers. Anzalone fits all three of those characteristics, which is why he has been one of two linebackers the Saints have plugged into their sub packages during training camp (Demario Davis being the other).

NEW ORLEANS, LA - NOVEMBER 4: Alex Anzalone #47 of the New Orleans Saints run out of the tunnel before a game against the Los Angeles Rams at Mercedes-Benz Superdome on November 4, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Saints defeated the Rams 45-35. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)

“He can play all the positions, not only because he’s physically able to, but mentally he’s able to,” Nolan said. “The total package of him gives him the versatility and confidence to take another step this year.”

Getting through the 2018 season healthy has also paid physical dividends since Anzalone did not have to devote any time to recovering from offseason surgery or going through a lengthy rehab.

Nolan put it this way: Anzalone is a bigger, stronger, better athlete than he was when the Saints drafted him in the third round out of Florida, and they liked where he was physically at that point.

The increased strength is one of the things that stands out the most to Nolan, specifically when it comes to fitting in the run defense. Part of that also comes with the confidence that comes with staying healthy, considering Anzalone is going up against players who outweigh him by anywhere from 50-70 pounds.

“He’s played it better in this camp so far than he has since he’s been here,” Nolan said. “But I also think that comes with the confidence in his shoulder. A lot of his run play, I think confidence has to do with his ability just to stick in there and say, ‘I’m not going to come out of here messed up.’ He’s a big guy, but if you’re injured, big doesn’t do you any good.”

Now the key is stacking another full, healthy year on top of last season. Nolan kept using the phrase “knock on wood,” when discussing Anzalone, the underlying tone being that the Saints might have someone truly ready for a breakout if Anzalone can stay on the field.

“He’s a special player,” said Saints linebacker Craig Robertson. “I’m excited for him. I told him all offseason, ‘Hey man, this is the year you separate yourself and you have a chance to do something special.’”

That is the positive mindset. Now it’s backed up by the confidence of knowing it can be done.

New Orleans Saints middle linebacker Alex Anzalone (47) runs through drills during training camp at their NFL football training facility in Metairie on July 26.(Photo: Gerald Herbert/AP)